1. Field of the Invention
The present invention, in general, relates to window shutters and, more particularly, to a device for opening and closing indoor window shutters.
Window shutters, sometimes also known as “Plantation shutters”, include a plurality of spaced-apart parallel horizontal slats (i.e., louvers) that are each pivotally supported within a frame structure that surrounds the slats. Each slat is supported by two pins that protrude from opposite ends of the slats and extend into openings provided in the frame. The terms “slat” or “slats”, as used herein, are synonymous with the terms “louver” or “louvers”, respectively, as they apply to window shutters.
A connecting bar is pivotally attached to each of the slats so that when either the connecting bar or any one of the slats is moved (i.e., pivoted), all of the slats move accordingly and in unison. The connecting bar extends vertically up and down and is pivotally attached to one side (or both sides, as it is possible to use two connecting bars) of the slats or, if preferred, vertically along a center length of the slats.
The window shutters are used as a window treatment, most often to control an amount of light entering a room, and the slats are pivoted together to control the amount of light that is entering the room or to obstruct the view through the window, for example, when greater privacy in the room is desired. The slats are all pivoted in unison so that they are all fully open, all fully closed, or all somewhere in-between, as desired.
The slats are substantially flat planar members. When fully open a center plane of all of the slats is substantially level (i.e., parallel) with respect to a plane of the earth's surface. In this position, the slats are viewed on edge from inside of the room and they each then minimally block the view through the window, or the view of the window itself as they are usually disposed in front of the window. Maximum light is then able to enter the room from the outside. When the slats are viewed on edge, they are in an open position.
When the slats are in a closed position, the upper and lower edges of the intermediate slats slightly overlap one another, and the center plane of each slat is perpendicular or nearly perpendicular (i.e., vertical or nearly vertical) with respect to the plane of the earth. The top and bottom slats do not have both edges overlap in the closed position. Rather, when the slats are in the closed position, the bottom edge only of the top most slat overlaps the top edge of the slat that is disposed below it and the top edge only of the bottom most slat overlaps the bottom edge of the slat that is disposed above it.
In this, the closed position, the slats appear to combine together to form a large extended and somewhat thicker planar surface that maximally obstructs light entering the room, the view through the window, as well as sight of the window. When the slats are perpendicular or nearly so, they are said to be in the closed position.
Certain types of modern window shutters are made of durable and energy saving materials. They may be mounted within an existing window frame or they may include a surrounding frame structure that supports the frame structure. The surrounding frame structure extends generally around a window opening. The frame structure (i.e., that portion which surrounds the slats) usually includes hinges about which it pivots away from the window opening or away from surrounding frame structure, for access to the window itself, i.e., for cleaning or opening and closing of the window.
The frame structure may also include a perimeter seal that helps provide an air-tight seal intermediate a perimeter of the frame structure and the window opening (or surrounding frame structure) to block light and also to better seal the window opening. This prevents drafts and increases the effective “R” factor, or insulation value proximate the window.
The slats can also be adjusted anywhere in between the fully open or fully closed position to better regulate the amount of light (or air) entering into the room.
There are numerous problems associated with window shutters. First, to open or close the shutter slats, the common connecting bar, depending upon where it is located, may be grasped and urged up or down, either from the fully open to the fully closed position (or in reverse) or to some location between the two positions.
It is also possible with certain types of window shutters to continue to raise the connecting bar beyond the fully open (i.e., horizontal) position and to partially close the slats with a slope that is in an opposite direction compared to that which occurs when the connecting bar is in a lowered position. In either position, the connecting bar is used to regulate the position of all of the slats simultaneously.
Alternately, any one of the slats can also be grasped and urged to pivot, which will cause all of the slats to pivot as well because the connecting bar transfers the force that is being applied to pivot one of the slats to all of the remaining slats.
The same connecting bar, again depending on which side of the slats it is disposed on, may also be grasped and pulled in a direction that is generally away from the window (i.e., toward the interior of the room) to open the shutter itself by pivoting the frame that supports the slats about a vertical axis that is provided by a plurality hinges. When the frame (which includes all of the slats) is closed, it is disposed within the surrounding support structure or, alternately, in an existing window frame opening. The window opening can then serve as an alternate support structure to enclose, or partially enclose, the frame, as desired.
One of the most common failures with most types of window shutters is that the connecting bar can break. It simply cannot repeatedly handle over time the force that is required to pull the shutter frame out of the surrounding support structure or to pull the shutter frame out of the alternate support structure without eventually detaching at least a portion of the connecting bar from certain of the slats.
Furthermore, an increase in friction between the frame and the surrounding support structure or the alternate surrounding support structure can occur from a variety of causes, for example, a settling of a house foundation, or warping of the frame or surrounding support structure, or any other shifting of the surrounding support structure.
This increase in friction is also known as “binding” of the frame to its surroundings and in order to open or close the frame a substantial increase in the magnitude of force that is applied to the connecting bar may be required. Increasing the force applied to the connecting bar is especially likely to cause eventual breakage. It is not only the connecting bar itself that is subject to breakage (i.e., failure) but equally troublesome is a failure of the connection between the connecting bar and any of the slats.
Also, because the connecting bar may perform double duty; first, to regulate the position of the slats and second, to open or close the entire shutter (i.e., to pivot the shutter frame about the vertical axis), the connecting bar is subject to failure because such a high duty cycle is often more than the connecting rod can sustain.
It is important to note that regardless of whether the slats are in an open or closed position, the vertical connecting bar is present and can be seen. Sometimes, the connecting bar is disposed at an end of the slats where it is pivotally connected to each slat (using a protrusion that passes into the slat or a protrusion from the slat that passes into the connecting bar, about which each slat can pivot). Sometimes, the connecting bar is disposed along the length of the slats where it is almost always disposed on a front side of the slats, that is, on a side that is the same as that of an interior of the room where it can be grasped and used to open and close the slats and also to open and close the frame. If desired, the connecting bar can be disposed on a back side of the slats, that is, on a side opposite that of an interior of the room.
However, regardless of where the connecting bar is located, when the slats are open, at least some portion of the connecting bar is visible and the smaller it is, in general, the less objectionable is its appearance. Accordingly, there is a tendency to make the connecting bar as small as possible. This tendency provides for a weaker connecting bar. Furthermore, when the connecting bar is disposed on the back of the slats, it is unavailable to grasp and use to open or close the slats or to pivot the frame open or closed.
When the connecting bar is used to open the shutter frame, a poor mechanical advantage occurs when the connecting bar is pulled or pushed to pivot the frame about its vertical axis because the slats are disposed within a center opening of the frame and therefore, the connecting bar cannot be maximally disposed away from the vertical hinges that the frame pivots about.
Accordingly, a greater force attempting to pull the shutter away from the window or push it toward the window must then be applied to the connecting rod which puts even greater stress on the connecting rod at the points of attachment intermediate the connecting rod and the slats which again contributes to premature breakage of the connecting rod itself or at the attachment points where the connecting rod is attached to the slats.
When the connecting bar is attached to the slats along the length of the slats, loops are often provided in the connecting rod that encircle similar types of loops that are provided in each of the slats, thereby allowing the connecting rod to pivot with respect to the slats as it is moved up or down and to interconnect all of the slats so that they pivot in unison.
To open or close the slats, any one of the slats can then similarly be urged up or down which causes all of the slats to be similarly pivoted. This also tends to dirty the slats.
An alternate and common way to open the shutter frame about its vertical axis is to grasp one of the open or partially open slats, and pull on it with sufficient force to pivot open the frame about the hinges. Because the slats are disposed within the frame, it is impossible to obtain an optimum mechanical advantage in opening the frame when pulling on any of the slats. Optimum mechanical advantage would occur if pulling were to occur on an outside portion of the frame (distally away from the hinges).
Pulling on the slats to pivot open the frame also contributes to much breakage because the slats are pivotally attached to the frame by the pins that extend from the slat ends into holes provided in the frame. These pins are small and relatively weak. Pulling on the slats subjects the pins to severe stress which tends to cause breakage of the pins because they, similarly, cannot handle the forces that are applied. Alternately, if the pins do not break, they can be dislodged out of the frame holes, thereby rendering them inoperative. Furthermore, grasping the slats tends to dirty the slats, which detracts from their appearance.
Also, the slats themselves tend to become loose over time because the pins tend to loosen in the holes in which they fit. Accordingly, when the slats are disposed in an open or partially open position, they tend to fall down under their own weight plus the weight of the connecting rod until they are in either a closed or open position, depending on which side of the slats the connecting rod is located. The slats tend to pivot about a center longitudinal axis (i.e., through the center of the pin that extends from both ends of each slat into the frame). As such, the slats are reasonably well balanced. However, the connecting rod is attached to a common side of all of the slats. The weight of the connecting rod introduces substantial imbalance to the slats. It is this imbalance that tends to cause the slats to fall down and close after the pins have become worn and loose and friction in the system is lessened by wear.
It is, therefore, not uncommon to see home and business owners using pieces of cardboard or paper as wedges that are placed between the ends of their window shutter slats and the interior of the frame to bind the slats in position and thereby, hold the slats in the desired open position or partially open position. Of course, the wedges can also become loose or be dislodged, causing the slats to once again fall into the closed position.
It is not possible, generally, for all of the slats to be disposed at a truly vertical angle with respect to the earth because the top of one slat will contact the bottom of a slat that is above it. This is because the slats include a slight overlap in the vertical position. A slight offset away from vertical of a center plane of the slats is common in the fully closed positions.
The slats for certain types of shutters are flat planar members. They may include a generally oval or rectangular cross-section or other shape, as desired. If desired, the slats may each include a slight curvature (not common) across a relatively narrow width and where the curvature extends along the longitudinal length of each slat.
The plane of the slats, as mentioned herein, is either the plane extending through a center of the flat planar members (slats) or it may include a chord extending across the slight curvature that is being referred to.
The terms “close” or “closed” refers to orienting the plane of the slats (or the chord of the slats) at an angle as far from parallel with respect to the plane of the earth as is possible for the slats or, stated another way, as nearly vertical or perpendicular with respect to the earth as is possible, thereby substantially preventing light from entering into the room when the frame of the window shutters are installed in a common fashion that is parallel with respect to a plane of the window itself.
Accordingly, there exists today a need for a window shutter opening and closing device that helps ameliorate the above-mentioned difficulties.
2. Description of Prior Art
Window shutters are, in general, known. While the structural arrangements of the above described devices may, at first appearance, have similarities with the present invention, they differ in material respects. These differences, which will be described in more detail hereinafter, are essential for the effective use of the invention and which admit of the advantages that are not available with the prior devices.